Numerous questions on whether he will be MEP candidate

"The decision on whether I will be a PN candidate or not will be taken within the party. Before the final court decision, my candidature was temporarily suspended. Today I feel much more serene," said Jean Claude Micallef when contacted by Illum.

On Wednesday, TV presenter Jean-Claude Micallef, 26 of Marsaxlokk, was acquitted of charges of fraud and misappropriation, with Magistrate Ian Farrugia stating that he should have never been arraigned in the first place.

Micallef emphasised that he will be consistently loyal and enthusiastic so as to ensure that the Nationalist Party will meet the aspirations of the people.

In May, Micallef was elected on the national executive of the party. He is also Vice-President of the PN Birżebbuġa Committee.

A PN spokesperson said that the PN's commission tasked with selecting candidates is evaluating Jean Claude Micallef's candidature for the next European Parliament elections in the same way it is assessing other candidates.

Micallef lost out to more prolific candidates like businesspeople Helga Ellul and Jonathan Shaw, lawyers Stefano Mallia, Kevin Cutajar and Therese Commodini Cachia, PN youth section president Kevin Plumpton, and incumbents David Casa and Roberta Metsola.

A specially appointed party commission carried out the selection of the MEP candidates.

The chairman of the PN's commission that chose the MEP candidates, Joe Borg, hinted that the only problem as regard to Jean Claude Micallef's candidature was this criminal case. "In the case of Jean Claude, he himself admitted he was facing criminal procedures and we felt we had to temporarily suspend his candidature in this context."

Full article in today's issue of ‘Illum'.